Arnett has decided that the Middle East will serve as his home base for the foreseeable future.
Canadian Arnett (17-6) launches his stay in the region when he takes on Frenchman Elias Boudegzdame (16-6) at a 141-pound catchweight matchup at UAE Warriors 15 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on Friday.
The 36-year-old fighter said he intends to remain in Abu Dhabi until March after his bout with Boudegzdame, and expressed hope that a victory could lead to a short-notice slot on one of the UFC's Fight Island cards.
"I'm 100 per cent focused on UAE Warriors, but one thing is if I get out of this fight with no injuries, as I should, they don't have medical suspensions here. We'll be ready to go seven days later, 14 days later, 28 days later," said Arnett in an interview with MMA Empire.
"And with the civil war that's about to go down in the USA right now, you better believe Dana (White) will be looking at moving those February shows from Vegas to Abu Dhabi."
With a solid track record heading into this contest, including two consecutive victories and 14 wins in his last 16 contests, a triumph over Boudegzdame could quickly place Arnett in the mix for the UAE Warriors bantamweight championship.
Intriguingly, the reigning UAE Warriors bantamweight champion is another Canadian and Arnett's close friend, Xavier Alaoui, who claimed the title at UAE Warriors 14 by submitting Jaures Dea via unanimous decision.
Arnett admitted the prospect of an all-Canadian title clash at UAE Warriors sounds exciting, and he'd be open to making it happen.
"If I put Elias away on Friday night, you best believe I could call for a title shot. Me and Xavier were supposed to do battle before in Montreal; sometimes friends have to fight," said Arnett.
"I'd have no other choice. I don't want to call him out or say anything to him publicly until I get that win, but a title shot could be on the horizon."
Arnett full of longevity
Despite his lengthy, accomplished 23-fight pro career, this marks Arnett's first competition outside North American soil.
Given his age and stage of his career, Arnett said he feels grateful to travel globally and continue performing at an elite standard.
"When I was a young man wrestling, I used to travel the world competing, so this just brings back some memories for me and makes me realize how blessed I am to have such longevity in this sport," said Arnett.
"My first tournament internationally might've been in Venezuela when I was 18 years old, and here I am years and years later in the Middle East still improving, living a healthy lifestyle, and just super thankful for sports. One thing nobody can deny is I definitely have longevity, and not too many guys keep improving over the years and have longevity, so I'm very thankful for this."
Arnett takes on a difficult task against Boudegzdame, the former Brave CF featherweight titleholder and a seasoned competitor matching his own experience.
Boudegzdame has earned 13 of his 16 victories by submission, and Arnett acknowledged the ground-based threat he poses, fully respecting that danger.
"He's dangerous on the floor. It wouldn't be the best idea to go take him down 10 seconds in, even though I could," said Arnett.
"I'm going to have to break him down. I'm going to have to use my jab, I need to keep my punches long, and I'm going to have to hurt him within three or four minutes. I know he's strong on the floor, and I have to respect that."
Arnett's Shoutouts
"I want to thank all my teammates at Alavanca YYC, all my teammates at Bowmont Boxing, my pad man Jhonson, MTK Global, and Robin Hahn from Built 360."
